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The New Statesman has published an in-depth look at Ghostwatch on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of its one and only airing.
‘Ghostwatch: the Halloween hoax that changed the language of television’
Interesting titbits such as Jonathan Powell, controller of BBC1 at the time, deciding on the wording of the continuity announcement used into the programme
and the BBC still don't like talking about Ghostwatch
EDIT: fixed wrong link. sorry!
‘Ghostwatch: the Halloween hoax that changed the language of television’
Interesting titbits such as Jonathan Powell, controller of BBC1 at the time, deciding on the wording of the continuity announcement used into the programme
Quote:
But it was Powell who insisted that the drama tag and the credits be applied to Ghostwatch just two days before transmission. “Richard and Ruth thought that if we did that, people would miss out on the joke they were playing,” he says. “I vividly remember saying, ‘You can’t do this.’ Richard was pushing the line, if not overstepping it completely, to try and get the thing past.” He also styled the continuity announcement to make the fictional element clear: “A Screen One presentation, a film…”
and the BBC still don't like talking about Ghostwatch
Quote:
This month, a planned Ghostwatch item on The One Show, to be hosted by Sarah Greene, was dropped when the editorial policy department vetoed it.
“The BBC were really embarrassed by it,” says Jonathan Powell. “Anything like that would put the kibosh on it being celebrated. There was a feeling that they should shove this one in the vaults and lock it away.”
“The BBC were really embarrassed by it,” says Jonathan Powell. “Anything like that would put the kibosh on it being celebrated. There was a feeling that they should shove this one in the vaults and lock it away.”
EDIT: fixed wrong link. sorry!
Last edited by VMPhil on 20 October 2017 6:44pm